The Milk Truck Stopped Coming: Why a Small Indiana Dairy Still Matters

The story behind our grassfed A2A2 Jersey milk and raw milk cheese

One day, with very little notice, the milk truck stopped coming to Kemp’s Organic Dairy.

For years, the Kemp family had been part of a milk route supplying one of the large organic dairy brands found in grocery stores. They maintained their organic dairy, cared for their Jersey cows and produced the milk the company had agreed to buy.

The quality of the milk had not changed.

The company had simply decided that the farm was too small and too far out of the way to justify the stop.

That decision tells much of the story of small dairy farms in Indiana and across the country.

More milk is coming from fewer farms

In 2004, the United States had 66,825 licensed dairy herds. By 2024, only 24,811 remained.

That is 42,014 fewer licensed dairy herds in 20 years—a decline of nearly 63 percent. During the same period, total American milk production increased by 32 percent. We did not stop producing milk. We moved its production onto fewer and much larger farms.

Indiana has followed the same general course. The USDA Census of Agriculture counted 2,799 Indiana farms with milk cows in 2002. By 2022, that number had fallen to 1,521.

That is 1,278 fewer Indiana farms with milk cows—a decline of nearly 46 percent in 20 years. This Census category includes some very small farms that may not sell milk commercially, but the direction is clear.

By 2024, Indiana had only 685 dairy herds licensed to sell milk.

The remaining milk production has also become heavily concentrated. An Indiana dairy study using 2017 USDA data found that farms with fewer than 50 cows represented about 70 percent of Indiana dairy farms but produced only about 17 percent of the milk. Farms with at least 1,000 cows represented roughly 1.4 percent of the farms but produced about 57 percent of Indiana’s milk.

This is the system in which the Kemp family was told that their farm was too small to be worth the stop.

Efficiency depends on whose costs are being counted

From the perspective of a large dairy company, eliminating a distant stop may make financial sense.

A small farm requires another stop, more miles and more time. A large dairy can fill a milk tanker more quickly and spread transportation, processing and administrative costs across far more milk.

USDA research confirms that larger dairy farms generally have lower production costs per unit of milk. Those financial advantages have encouraged milk production to move toward larger operations for decades.

However, that calculation does not include everything that is lost when the truck stops coming.

It does not count another family leaving dairy farming. It does not count the loss of a local herd adapted to its farm. It does not count the barns, fences, pastures and knowledge that may disappear with it.

Most importantly, it does not consider whether all milk should be treated as interchangeable in the first place.

Our milk comes from a particular farm

The milk we carry is not pooled from an unknown number of farms.

It comes from the Kemp family’s certified organic dairy and their grassfed Jersey cows. We know the family, the herd and how the cows are managed.

That traceability matters to us.

When milk from many farms is combined, the consumer may recognize the brand on the carton but knows little about the farms that produced it. With the Kemp family’s milk, the farm remains part of the product.

The cows are Jerseys, a dairy breed known for milk with higher levels of butterfat and protein than the standards used to price much of the conventional milk supply. Those characteristics also make Jersey milk well suited for butter and cheese.

The herd is also A2A2.

What does A2A2 mean?

A2A2 describes the genetics associated with one particular milk protein.

Beta-casein accounts for about 30 percent of the protein in milk and commonly occurs as either the A1 or A2 form. A cow with two copies of the A2 gene produces milk containing only the A2 form of beta-casein.

Jerseys have a higher natural frequency of A2 genetics than Holsteins, although being a Jersey does not automatically make a cow A2A2. The individual animals must be selected or genetically tested.

A2A2 milk is not lactose-free. We also do not believe we need to make broad medical promises about it. Current university guidance says that some possible digestive benefits are still being studied.

What we can say plainly is that A2A2 identifies a real, testable difference in the milk protein produced by the cows.

The cheese begins with the same milk

The raw milk cheese we carry begins with milk from the same grassfed Jersey herd.

That matters because cheese can easily become another anonymous grocery product. Milk may be purchased from many farms, moved long distances and separated from the people and land that produced it.

This cheese retains its connection to one dairy.

Cheese also gives a small farm another practical market for its milk. Fluid milk is highly perishable. Making cheese allows part of the farm’s production to be preserved and sold over a longer period while keeping more of its value connected to the farm.

For a small dairy, milk, butter and cheese are not unrelated products. Together, they help create a market large enough to support the herd.

A different kind of milk route

The large organic company concluded that the Kemp family was too far out of its way.

Our relationship with the farm creates a different route—one that connects their dairy directly with families in central Indiana.

That route only works when people use it.

Buying this milk or cheese is not an act of charity. You are buying food from a known farm, produced by a known herd under specific management. At the same time, your order helps maintain a market that a much larger company decided was not efficient enough to serve.

Small dairies do not survive on occasional concern about the loss of family farms. They need regular customers.

Each gallon of milk, package of butter and block of cheese helps make another trip to the Kemp farm worthwhile.

The milk truck stopped coming.

We believe the farm is still worth delivering for.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is A2A2 milk?

A2A2 milk comes from cows that produce only the A2 form of beta-casein, one of the main proteins found in milk. The Kemp family selects and tests its cows for the A2A2 genetic trait.

Is A2A2 milk lactose-free?

No. A2A2 milk still contains lactose. The A2A2 designation refers to the type of beta-casein protein in the milk, not its lactose content.

Some people report that A2A2 milk is easier for them to digest, but individual responses vary.

Why does the Kemp family raise Jersey cows?

Jersey cows are smaller dairy animals known for producing milk with naturally higher levels of butterfat and protein than many common dairy breeds.

That milk is particularly well suited for drinking, butter and cheesemaking.

Are the cows grassfed?

Yes. The Kemp family raises its Jersey cows on a grass-based diet under certified organic management.

Their milk comes from one identifiable herd rather than being pooled from a large number of unrelated farms.

Is the milk certified organic?

Yes. Kemp’s Organic Dairy is a 100% Grassfed certified organic dairy farm. Organic certification establishes standards for the cows’ feed, pasture access and the farm’s management practices.

Where does the milk come from?

The milk comes directly from the Kemp family’s dairy in Indiana.

It is not anonymous milk purchased from a national commodity pool. We know the family, the farm and the herd producing it.

What is raw milk cheese?

Raw milk cheese is made from milk that has not been pasteurized before the cheesemaking process.

Cheesemaking is different from selling fluid raw milk. The cultures, salt, moisture and aging process all contribute to the finished cheese.

Does raw milk cheese taste different throughout the year?

It can.

Milk changes naturally with the cows’ diet, stage of lactation and the season. Grass growth, stored forage and weather can all influence the milk used to make the cheese.